House Education Committee lays over House File 6 after presentations on literacy, local control and mandate relief

The Minnesota House Education Committee on Jan. 1, 2025 laid over House File 6 after committee members and bill sponsors presented the proposal's three-part approach to K‑12 policy: a renewed emphasis on foundational literacy, expanded local control and innovation, and near-term flexibility on funding and new mandates.

Representative Peggy Bennett, State Representative, District 23A, moved House File 6 before the committee "with the intention that the bill be laid over for possible inclusion in an omnibus bill or further action at a later date," and the chair subsequently laid the bill over for further consideration.

The bill is presented in three articles. Article 1 would revise the Reid Act enacted in the 2023–24 legislative biennium to emphasize the "science of reading" and include language stating an "unequivocal commitment to the science of reading" and that "every child has the right to read. Period," Rep. Tina Mueller, State Representative, said while explaining the article. Mueller said the bill ends a Department of Education partnership with the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CARI) in June and directs the Minnesota Department of…